A/N: I am really sorry that it has been so long since I have updated. I have been crazy busy with school work. I had four papers due in the past two weeks and have only been able to work on them during the week since I have gone away on the weekends. I wanted to say thanks so much to all of those who are still reading and reviewing this. I can't believe I have 59 reviews! I love reading them. The next chapter should be up shortly since I have no more papers to write. It will have more NS in it. I only have a few tests left and then I will have even more time to write. Also a special thanks to my beta, Camilla Sandman.
"What did you just say?" Warrick asked, not believing what he just heard.
"I think she's my daughter," Catherine repeated, still looking down at the floor stretching out between them.
"Wait a minute. I don't understand. What do you mean, she's your daughter? I thought Lindsey was your only child."
Catherine raised her eyes to meet Warrick's gaze. "I know. I'm sorry. I should have said something, especially to you. But like I said, I never told anyone. It was too painful to talk about."
"You can tell me now. Nothing you say can make me think any differently about you," he said reassuringly.
She couldn't hold it back any longer and it all spilled out in a flow of words. "I was only eighteen when I got pregnant. I was scared out of my mind when I found out. I was barely able to support myself, let alone a baby. I knew I wouldn't be able to take care of a baby, but I didn't feel right about having an abortion. So I decided to give her up for adoption. It was the hardest decision I ever had to make, but I knew I had to give her up." She trailed off, breath ragged and tears bright. Leaning blindly against him, she let Warrick take her into his arms.
"Hey now. Everything's going to be all right. I'm here for you now," he whispered into her ear while rubbing her back.
A few minutes later as her tears were subsiding she spoke without lifting her head, "Thanks War."
"It's not a problem. Don't worry about it," he replied. "Now why don't we go sit down and you can tell me why you think Alex is your daughter."
She followed him over to the couch and sat next to him as he put his arm around her. "Was it what Greg told you about her?" he asked, trying ease more information out of her.
"I'd overheard Greg telling Nick and Sara that Alex's last name was Kessler before she changed it to Miller. When you and Nick first told me that she looked like me, I thought it was just a coincidence. But when I found out her last name was Kessler, I realized that she might be my Alex and I just couldn't believe it."
"If I'd known about her, I wouldn't have joked about it before, and I'm sure Nick wouldn't have either. I'm sorry, Cath."
"Don't be," she replied. "You had no way of knowing."
"So I'm assuming that the family that adopted your daughter was the Kesslers?" he asked.
"You're right," she told him, bracing herself to live through the story again. "It was shortly after my nineteenth birthday that I went to the adoption agency. It was May, I remember, a clear blue sky of spring and I was three months pregnant. That day, as I walked though the doors of the agency, I knew I was doing the right thing for my baby, but it was still almost impossible to go in. They'd given me some books to look through, listing couples who were waiting to adopt a baby. When I saw the Kesslers' profile, they seemed like the perfect people to give my baby to. I finally got the nerve to call them when I was about four months pregnant and just beginning to show. They were so happy when I told them they were my choice. They were so kind to me, Warrick. They came to all of my doctor's appointments and were there for the birth. On November 10th I had a beutiful and healthy baby girl. She weighed eight pounds three ounces and was the most precious thing I'd ever seen."
"I'm sorry. You must have been so strong to go through that," he said as she took a deep breath, giving her shoulder a squeeze.
"It was tough. I was lucky in one way because I was only in labor for about twelve hours and there were no complications. After I had given birth, they handed me the baby and told me it was a girl. When I lifted her up and held her in my arms, I was so overwhelmed I burst into tears. I don't think I stopped crying for days afterwards. The Kesslers told me they wanted me to name her and I chose Alexandra. A few weeks later, when the adoption was final, they sent me a letter with some pictures of her. They even told me they'd settled on Catherine as her middle name. They sent the letter along with my copy of the adoption papers. Every time I looked at the paper that said my baby girl was now Alexandra Catherine Kessler, I cried," she said, staring beyond him and into her memories. "I cried every time I saw someone pushing a baby carriage. I cried whenever I passed a baby store. I … I …"
Not sure of what to say, Warrick wrapped his arms around her and merely held her. "Did you stay in contact with the Kesslers?"
"For about six months I did," she said quietly, pulling back slightly, but not moving out of his embrace. "Every month or so they would send a short letter telling me how she was doing along with new pictures. It was just becoming too painful for me to read about her, see the pictures... They left me feeling almost half dead, as if I'd lost a part of myself. So I wrote them back, asking them to stop writing. It was a hard choice to make, but I knew I couldn't keep going on like that."
"And you heard nothing from them after that?"
"No. I didn't hear anything about them after that. Until today when I overheard Greg," she replied, slipping out of his embrace. "I don't know what to do now."
"My first suggestion is that you make sure she's your daughter. You shouldn't make any decision else before you're absolutely sure."
"Yeah, I guess you're right. It could just be one big coincidence. I shouldn't mess up my life before I know, huh?"
"Definitely not," he said with a slight smile. "Hey listen, Nick, Sara, and Greg are in the break room with Alex, getting her statement. Anything you want from there? I can get it, so you don't have to face anyone just yet."
"A coffee would be great."
"One cream and two sugars as usual?" he asked, getting up from the couch.
"Yeah," she replied, standing up next to him. When he started to walk away she called out to him, "Hey, Warrick? Thanks again for being there for me. I don't know what I'd do without you."
"No problem. What's friends for? You don't have to keep thanking me," he told her sincerely, giving her a quick hug. When he pulled back, she held on, her body warm next to his. Her expression was impossible to read as he looked down at her face, her hair falling against his chest. "What's wrong?"
She met his gaze, unable to put into words what she was currently thinking and feeling. She'd feelings for him for awhile now that were definitely more than friendly and at that moment, him so close, it all seemed to overwhelm her. She'd always hoped he felt some of the same, but without really knowing, she'd been afraid to act on them and possibly lose him as a friend.
She didn't have to wonder for long. Before she could say anything, he lowered his head and kissed her. It was a tender but short kiss, his lips lingering on hers ever so softly for a mere moment.
Warrick pulled back and looked down at Catherine, waiting for a response. When she didn't say anything right away he said, "I'm sorry, Cath. I shouldn't have done that." He took a step back, but once again she wouldn't let him go.
"Don't be. I'm not," she replied, a slight smile forming on her lips.
"You're not?"
"Nope," was all she said before sliding her hands up behind his neck, pulling his head down to hers. As their lips met more forcefully this time, a small moan escaped from her lips. He slid his hands under her shirt and up her back, pulling her closer, deepening the kiss.
Neither one was able to say anything for a couple of minutes, their tongues busy tangling while hands roamed freely. It wasn't until after their liplock was broken and they were both gasping for breath that the silence was broken by Warrick.
"That was amazing. Better than I ever dreamed it would be."
"It was definitely great," she replied. She suddenly pulled back out of his arms and leaned against the wall. "But we can't do that anymore."
Why? I thought you wanted…" he started, looking confused and a little hurt.
Before he could finish she interrupted him, "I mean we can't do that anymore here, in my office. Anyone could walk in on us at any moment."
A look of relief flashed across his face, "Good. For a second there you had me worried that I miss understood you and you didn't like it."
"Oh, I definitely liked it and want to do it again, but I'd prefer somewhere else. Somewhere we have more privacy, for one thing. And right now I need to focus on finding out if Alex really is my daughter," she said, getting behind her desk.
"All right," he replied, walking towards the door. "I'll go get you that coffee I promised."
Before Warrick left the room, Catherine called out to him causing him to turn around. "So, Warrick... You dream of kissing me?"
"Oh yeah, but in my dreams we have done a lot more than just kissing," he told her before turning and leaving, leaving Catherine to smile at his retreating back.